Yuval Rotem

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel

Ambassador Yuval Rotem is the Director General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position he has held since October 2016.

As MFA Director General Yuval serves directly under Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Netanyahu as Israel's senior professional diplomat, overseeing all of the MFA's diplomatic activity and operations, and leading policy formulation and engagement with the international community on the core issues at the heart of Israel's foreign relations.

A 30-year veteran of Israel's diplomatic corps, Yuval has served as Policy Advisor and Chief of Staff to Israel's Foreign Minister (1995-1998), Consul General in Los Angeles (1999-2004), Ambassador to Australia, and non-resident Ambassador to Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand (2007-2013). Throughout his career Yuval has been interested and engaged in public diplomacy. His first overseas posting was as Spokesman at Israel's UN Mission and Consulate in New York (1989-1993), while his last position before taking over the reins of the Foreign Ministry as a whole was as Senior Deputy Director-General in charge of Public Diplomacy. Under Yuval’s leadership, the Israel MFA has prioritized, expanded and advanced its digital diplomacy efforts in ways which have established Israel as a global leader in this field. Ever mindful of the need to innovate and adapt to the dynamics of the digital world, Yuval is the driving force behind the development of the field of algorithmic diplomacy in recent years. Yuval is married with three children and lives near Tel Aviv. He tweets regularly about foreign affairs and Israeli diplomacy.